1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for displaying one or more still pictures taken from a moving picture in an image reproduction apparatus which reproduces information from a record medium such as a video disk containing the recorded moving picture.
2. Description of Related Art
As a technique for displaying a plurality of still pictures in an image reproduction apparatus, there is known, for example, a technique in which a display screen is separated into multi-screens in a video CD reproduction apparatus, and opening images of musical pieces (tracks) recorded in a video CD are displayed in the separated screens, respectively. In this technique, a moving picture in the opening part of each musical piece in turn is played back, frozen after a given period of time, and displayed as a still picture.
Further, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-265703, there is known a technique in which, from a moving picture reproduced from an information recording medium, still pictures are taken at any time points specified by a user, and displayed on a screen.
These conventional techniques are for displaying one or more still pictures taken from a moving picture.
Thus, for example, according to the above-described technique for displaying a plurality of still pictures in a multi-screen image, each still picture corresponding to a musical piece can be used as an index for estimating contents of that musical piece.
Such simple display, however, is not sufficient for a user to use a moving picture conveniently, and it is desirable that a moving picture from which a displayed still picture is taken can be used in relation to that still picture.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image reproduction apparatus which takes in and stores one or more scenes as still pictures from moving pictures at optional timing, displays that one or more still pictures stored, and, from a scene corresponding to a selected still picture, starts reproduction of a moving picture containing that scene.
Thus, the present invention provides an image reproduction apparatus for playing back moving pictures recorded in a record medium, comprising: stored image selection means for receiving selection of any scene of a moving picture under playback; image storing means for storing one or a plurality of still pictures constituting, in the moving pictures, a scene or scenes whose selection is received by the stored image selection means; address storing means for storing addresses indicating, in the moving pictures, positions of respective still pictures stored in the image storing means; menu displaying means for displaying the one or plurality of still pictures stored in the image storing means; a playback image selection means for receiving selection of one out of the one or plurality of still pictures displayed by the menu displaying means; and jump playback means for playing back a moving picture from the record medium, starting from a position which is stored in the address storing means and corresponds to the still picture whose selection is received by the playback image selection means, as a playback starting position in the moving picture.
According to thus-described image reproduction apparatus, a user can take and store any one or plurality of still pictures from a moving picture, and can then display the stored one or plurality of still pictures. Further, out of these displayed still pictures, a user can select a scene from which playback is to be started, by confirming its contents. From the scene corresponding to the selected still picture, playback of the moving picture containing the scene in question can be started.